Bon Jovi lays an egg in Australia

Sometimes, even a great showman like Jon Bon Jovi has an off night on stage.

Bon Jovi's concert in Perth, Australia, late last week is getting cold write-ups in the local press. Perth Now reports that the band whizzed through its set there, taking little time to chat up the audience yet complaining that concert-goers were sitting on their hands.

"This ain't television. Get up out of your seats. I came a long way to be here tonight," Bon Jovi reportedly yelled from the stage. Still, an overly ambitious security staff seemed intent on keeping people in their seats and out of the aisles.

Fans seemed put off by the band's choice of encores as well. Those final three songs -- "The Last Night," "Wanted Dead Or Alive" and "I Love This Town" -- echoed of the recent loss of Aussie native Heath Ledger.

"Maybe it was all purely coincidental, but for a town in mourning it seemed a little too close to the bone," critic Jay Hanna wrote online. "Rather than leaving feeling elated, some of the crowd seemed a little baffled and confused."

About this blog

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times correspondent Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to big hair.